The Castle of San Sebastián (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Castillo de San Sebastián'') is a fortress located in

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, at the end of La Caleta beach on a small island separated from the main city. It was declared ''

Bien de Interés Cultural A Bien de Interés Cultural is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Venezuela and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" (" goods" in the economic sense) and incl ...

'' in 1993.

History

According to the classical tradition of the location of the fortress, there was a Temple of Kronos, a Titan of the Greek gods, the father of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ...

, Hades,

Hestia In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Hestia (; grc-gre, Ἑστία, meaning "hearth" or "fireside") is the virgin goddess of the hearth, the right ordering of domesticity, the family, the home, and the state. In myth, she is the firstborn ...

, Demeter and Hera. In 1457, a chapel on the island was raised by a Venetian boat crew recovering from the plague. In 1706, a castle was constructed, which resulted in a fortified enclosure of an irregular plane. It defended the northern flank of the city from attack. At the base of the lighthouse was a watchtower from the Muslim period. The lighthouse has an iron structure designed by Rafael de la Cerda in 1908 and is the second electric powered lighthouse in

. The tower rises to 41 meters above the sea. In 1811 the Maltese navy arrived with the famous POW/rebel Junta of Buenos Aires,

Juan Bautista Azopardo Juan Bautista Azopardo-Native name Ġann Patist Azzopardi (Born 19 February 1772 in Senglea, Malta –Died 23 October 1848 in Buenos Aires) was a Maltese privateer and military man who fought under the flags of the Netherlands, Spain, and ...

. He was housed in the fortress until 1815, when they suspected a leak and transferred him to the military prison in Ceuta. In 1860, a levee was built to serve as a link between the island and the city. On June 25 of 1985, Castillo de San Sebastian was declared a cultural landmark.

References

Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Cádiz Castles in Andalusia {{Spain-castle-stub